All the King's Horses
by unowhoandwhy
Summary: Dr. Beckett and Major Sheppard and his team must race to solve a mystery on a lifeless world before another life is lost. WIP
1. Prelude

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate or any of its characters, I wish I did. I'm also not making any money on this story (or anywhere else for that matter!). Blah blah blah, you all know the drill.

But I would like to borrow Carson for just a little bit, I promise to return him (mostly undamaged!

Summary: Dr. Beckett, Major Sheppard and his team must race to solve a mystery on an alien planet before another life is lost.

Warnings: Right now it's G, but I plan to do a little whumping and have some fun with the Atlantis characters, although I do promise to return them all in the condition in which they were found!

Prelude

The sun beat down on the arid wasteland, cracking the ground and turning any signs of what had once been life to dust. The four-man team coming out of the Gate shaded their eyes with their hands in a futile attempt to assist their sunglasses in dealing with the brutal glare. The Gate and the ruins of what looked to be a small Greek-style temple were the only things other than sand as far as the eye could see.

The first person out of the Gate, a giant of a man almost as wide as he was tall, with a body fat percentage an anorexic heroin addict would have envied, started grumbling as soon as he finished surveying the area for potential threats, of which there were none outside of heat stroke and wind burn. "It figures those damn Air Farce idiots would send us to the only world that doesn't have a million frickin' trees. I know they resent us real soldiers, but this is unbelievable."

The woman to his right smiled and stood up on tiptoes to pat him on his broad shoulder, "Don't worry, Moose, I'm sure it's a 'newbie cherry' thing, rather than an 'Army-Air Force' thing. We just need to survey it and get the heck out of here in quick-time to show them what their first team of real soldiers can do."

The third member of the team, a baby-faced man just barely taller than his female companion, furrowed his brow in puzzlement, "Captain Sutherland, I thought the SGC had some Marine teams to supplement the Air Force teams, ma'am."

The Captain rolled her eyes at her large companion in amusement at the young 'butterbar's' formality. A young second lieutenant with the ink still wet on his commission paperwork was always careful to observe military formality with his superior officers. He would eventually learn that what was required in the garrison was completely different from the mutual respect and easy camaraderie of a seasoned unit.

"Marines are jarheads, lieutenant. Great guys to have at your front in a firefight, none better in fact, but still jarheads. We're the first Army team at the SGC, so we need to show them how soldiers of the 20th century do things."

The fourth member of the team, silent till now, threw in a hearty, "Hooo-ahhh, Airborne!" pumped his fist in the air and threw a smirk in her direction.

The Captain quirked an eyebrow at him and tried not to smile. 'Breaking in the newbies' was a favorite pastime for all of them, but the stocky Colonel sometimes enjoyed it a bit too much. Sending Lieutenant Ayers to get 'squelch oil' for the radio and some 'grid squares' for the maps had been a good laugh, but it was really more of a prank to play on new enlisted soldiers.

Colonel Long finished his visual scan of the area and turned to his team, all business now, "Moose, you're on point. Jag, you take rearguard. Lieutenant, you're with me. Let's survey that pile of rocks, see what there is to see."

His team moved out, scanning the area and watching each other's sixes, as they had for several years now in equally hot places on their own planet. Ayers looked over at the Colonel several times, obviously wanting to speak but unable to overcome his awe of the battle-scarred veteran. The Colonel took pity on him, "Cat got your tongue, Lieutenant?"

"Sssssir?"

"Something on your mind, Lieutenant?"

"It's Captain Sutherland, sir."

"Fine soldier, Lieutenant, and a hell of a blackjack player. What about her?"

"Why do you call her Jag, sir?"

"Captain Sofia Colburn Atwood Sutherland is a bit of a mouthful."

"Sir?"

"Well, when it came time to give out nicknames, Moose was a pretty obvious choice for Captain Petty. And I am obviously Long because it might be my name, but I am definitely not."

Ayers looked over at his CO, who was a good four inches shorter than his own five feet ten inches, and tried to decide whether it was OK for him to joke with him. He wisely kept his mouth shut and Long continued with the tale, "Well, there isn't much you can do with Jag's name, so we shortened Sutherland to Sue."

Ayers waited for the Colonel to follow through on his story in vain. He caved within a minute and said, "I still don't understand why she's called Jag, sir."

The Colonel shook his head in disappointment, "I thought you were some sort of genius, Lieutenant. It's a logical progression, if you think about it."

Ayers furrowed his brown in concentration and finally admitted defeat, "I give up, sir. I just don't see where you came up with Jag."

"What do lawyers do, Lieutenant?"

"They defend guilty people, sir."

Colonel Long suppressed a sigh, "What do ambulance chasing lawyers do, Lieutenant?"

"They... they sue people, sir."

"And what are military lawyers called, Lieutenant?"

"...JAGs, sir!"

"That was a heckuva lot more painful than it should have been, wasn't it, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

They had arrived at the ruined temple and the Colonel became all business again. "Spread out, people, and be back here in ten for show and tell."

The team started to fan out when the Colonel remembered something, "Lieutenant!"

"Sir?"

"Don't touch anything except your P-90 and yourself."

"Uhhhh...yessir."

Nine minutes later Ayers shouted from the northern edge of the temple, "Sirs, you have to see this!'

The three senior members took off at double-time, weapons at the ready. They found the Lieutenant staring in fascination at an intact column approximately four feet high. There were several crystals and some strange markings in an oddly familiar pattern around the column.

Just as the significance of the markings dawned on the other members of his team, Ayers reached out for one of the crystals in fascination. The last thing he heard before being struck full in the face with a white blast of light was, "No! Don't tou...!" and then there was only darkness and pain.


	2. A Lifeless World?

Chapter One

Major John Sheppard stepped out of the Puddlejumper with the rest of his team arrayed behind him. They had come across the Gate address for this planet in one of the Ancient's databases and were hoping it would yield something useful. At this point in the expedition, anything would have been classified as useful. Food, weapons, some new DVDs of current releases from Earth, a Zed P..." he paused and mentally shook himself. He had obviously been spending way too much time with McKay if he was starting to call ZPMs Zed Pee... he stopped himself before he said it again.

He looked around at the tranquil forest arrayed on all sides of the Gate. It was a beautiful day, the sun was warming his face gently, but there was something off about the whole place. It took him a moment to realize what was so disturbing about what should have been a peaceful place – there were no signs of life. No birds chirping, no bees buzzing... "I've been in this Galaxy too long if all I can think about are birds and bees," he muttered.

"What was that, John?" Teyla asked as she stepped up beside him, brushing her flyaway hair out of her eyes as she spoke. Sheppard resisted the urge to find her one of those scrunchy thingies, or even a freakin' rubber band, for what had to be the thousandth time that week. He turned to reply when she continued, "There are no animals or insects on this planet, John, or if there are they are very quiet."

"I was just about to say that," McKay interjected, intent as always on taking the credit for everything, even the most inane or innocuous.

"Sir," Ford called his attention to a well-worn path leading away from the Gate. There was no DHD on this planet, which was one of the reasons they had brought the Puddlejumper. Getting stuck on Atlantis was fine for now, but being stuck on some crazy planet with McKay would have been too much for anyone to handle, so they were always careful to ensure they could return through a Gate before they stepped onto any world.

Sheppard's brow furrowed as he thought about the implications of a path leading from a Gate with no DHD. "Let's check it out, but go slowly. There's something hinky about this whole planet. It's giving me the heebie-jeebies."

Teyla turned to him, trying to decide which question to ask first. Just as she opened her mouth, a scarecrow of a person in tattered rags stumbled out of the path and saluted Sheppard before collapsing on the ground at his feet.

"What the..." Sheppard scanned the area for any other signs of life, motioning for Ford & Teyla to search the perimeter. McKay knelt down by the figure and checked for signs of life. As he rolled the person onto their back, he saw something that made him lose his balance and sit down hard. "John... John!"

"What is it, Rodney?" Sheppard asked absently, still scanning the tree line and keeping an eye on Ford and Teyla.

"John!"

Sheppard, intrigued by McKay's unusual lack of at least seven words of six syllables or more, looked at what was being waved in front of his face. He snatched them out of McKay's hand, a look of shock on his face. He examined them, ignoring McKay's protest, and looked more closely at the figure on the ground. Under the dirt was a faded and tattered strip of fabric on each side of the chest. One said "SUTHERLAND" and the other said "US ARMY." In his hand were five strips of metal on a metal chain: dog tags. Two belonged to Sofia Colburn Atwood Sutherland and the other three were the names of three other US Army officers.

The figure on the ground groaned and struggled to get up. Sheppard knelt on the ground and put his hand gently on her shoulder, "Stay right where you are, Captain."

The woman squinted up at him, a look of shock and disbelief on her face, "You are really here, aren't you sir?"

"I am, I promise," he flashed his trademark boyish grin at her, and then sobered, "Captain..."

"I knew you would find us eventually," she interrupted. "I told the others it was only a matter of time before someone at the SGC figured out what had happened. I have to admit that I started to lose hope after the first month or so, but I always knew someone would find us eventually."

McKay started to speak, "No one..."

"Rodney." Sheppard said warningly.

"But..."

"Dr. McKay," there was ice in the Major's usually good-natured tone.

Rodney shut his gaping mouth with an audible snap and looked nervously over at Sheppard.

Sheppard continued, "What Dr. McKay here was saying, Captain, is that no one ever gives up on any SG teams that go missing. Isn't that right, Rodney."

"Oh, yes, of course, I..."

Sheppard interrupted him again, "I'm Major John Sheppard, and this is Dr. Rodney McKay. Lieutenant Ford and Teyla are the two other members of my team and they're just over there," he gestured towards the trees. "You said 'us' Captain. Where are the others?"

She looked blankly at him for a moment and then gestured vaguely down the path away from the Stargate. "We set up camp about a half a mile down the path, there's a stream and good shelter there. The Colonel sent me out to check the Stargate for any signs of activity, as we've done every day since we got stranded here. Lieutenant Ayers usually checks it, he feels responsible for our being stranded here. Which he is, but we got over that a while ago, it's water under the bridge at this point. But, he's not... well, I wasn't feeling too bad today, so... When I saw that ship come out of the Gate, I was so stunned I almost forgot all my survival training.

I hid in the woods until I saw your uniforms and realized that we had finally been rescued. I can't wait to tell the others!"

Sheppard looked at the dog tags in his hand and kept his mouth shut for the time being, certain that the mystery of how an SG team came to be stranded in the Pegasus Galaxy would be solved in its own time. "Rodney, go dial up the Stargate and let Dr. Beckett know that we have one patient incoming, possibly more."

"But..." Sheppard's look went from icy to arctic freeze and McKay shut his mouth and scrambled quickly for the Puddlejumper. Sheppard made a note to himself to remember that look for the next time McKay's rambling, egocentric mutterings got on his nerves. 'No, that won't work,' he told himself. 'At the rate Rodney goes on, my face would freeze like that from overuse and he'd get used to it and stop responding the way I wanted him too. I better save it for really special occasions.'

Sheppard returned his attention to the woman on the ground at his feet, who was attempting to rise again. He placed a calming hand on her shoulder, "Captain, you need to stay still. You're obviously malnourished at the very least. We're going to get you to our doctor and have you checked out before I can allow you to do anything other than sit there."

"Yes sir, but there's no DHD. How..."

"A lot has changed since you've been gone. That ship we came in is called a Puddlejumper. It has its own DHD. We'll call our base and have them send a stretcher through, then we'll send you through the Gate while my team and I go find your camp."

Sofia's eyes flickered to the dog tags in his hand and then towards the path she had indicated earlier. She swallowed nervously and then spoke, "Was it Captain Carter who found us, sir? I have steak at the best restaurant in town riding on that answer."

"No, it was definitely not Captain Carter, sorry."

"Well, I don't think I could handle the cholesterol, anyway, I've been on a bit of a crash diet lately," she joked weakly, gesturing at her emaciated frame.

The Gate activated and Sheppard surreptitiously turned his radio down, so that Rodney's most likely garbled and revealing, conversation with Atlantis wouldn't be overheard. "Captain, before we transport you to our base, there's something I have to tell you," he said gravely.

She looked at him questioningly and he continued, "Our base. It's not on Earth. We set up an... outpost of sorts on another planet in an Ancient city called Atlantis."

"How old is it?"

"What?"

"The city, you said it was ancient."

"No, no, it was built by the Ancients and..." he stopped when he saw the look of incomprehension on her face. "Ummmm... must have been after your time, huh? Well, the Ancients were the race that built the Stargates. We are living in a city they abandoned a long time ago. Which is, of course, a long story... one that I promise to tell you another time," he said as he heard the Gate shut down and open back up again a short time later. A stretcher came rolling out of the event horizon and rolled down the ramp. Ford and Teyla, who had returned to the clearing and were watching the perimeter, moved forward and brought the stretcher towards Sheppard and Sofia.

"OK, Captain. Just relax while we load you onto the stretcher."

Sofia rolled her eyes towards the path again and then said, "The other members of my team..."

"We'll take care of them, I promise." Sheppard and Ford lifted her onto the stretcher and walked it towards the Gate. McKay dialed up Atlantis again and they pushed the stretcher through. McKay exited the Puddlejumper and started talking, "Do you know how long that team has been missing?!" he asked excitedly.

"I didn't even know that there was ever an Army team at the SGC, but I am sure you are about to enlighten us."

"What? Oh, yes, well I had Grodin run a search through the mission logs we brought with us from Earth. There was one Army team, but they went missing on their first solo mission and the Army apparently decided that they didn't want to be involved in a project that stole their best soldiers, so they withdrew from the program. And do you know when that happened?"

Not expecting an answer, McKay was about to continue, just as Sheppard said, "I'd say it was in the first year that the SGC was up and running after they went to Abydos for the second time."

"It was... yes, it was. How did...?"

"She was talking about Captain Carter and she didn't know who the Ancients were, it was pretty easy to figure out."

Rodney, the wind taken out of his sails, replied petulantly, "I'm sure you know how they disappeared, too, don't you?"

"No... but I do know that it was something that Lieutenant Ayers did."

Rodney wrinkled his brow and then shook it off, "There was some sort of Ancient device on the planet they were investigating. The gate address was taken out of the computer after no one was able to determine what the device did or what happened to the team. No one has heard from them since. Seven years, can you imagine?"

"No, I can't. But, I would like to know what happened to the rest of her team," Sheppard held up the dog tags. He had returned Sofia's to her, but kept the other three. "People don't normally give up their dog tags unless something has happened to them."

"Perhaps she took them with her in case someone from Earth came through the Gate and wanted additional proof," Teyla offered.

"There's only one way to find out, so let's go. Keep your eyes open. The camp is supposed to be a half a mile away."

The four set off down the path, intent on solving another of the mysteries they had encountered on that strange day.


	3. Six Degrees of Highland Scots

Chapter Two

Dr. Carson Beckett waited in the Atlantis Gate room with his medical team as the stretcher bearing Sofia Sutherland rolled through the Gate. Peter Grodin had given him a quick briefing on the situation before the Gate activated again, and he had been advised by Dr. Weir to offer as little information as possible.

He had agreed that it would be too much of a shock for the woman to learn that she had been rescued by a group of people who were as stranded as she had been for seven long years, only in much better surroundings than the lifeless forest that she had come from.

She had lost consciousness sometime between the lifeless hell she had been trapped on and the cool, comforting walls of Atlantis. The medical team rushed her to the infirmary, working feverishly.

An hour later, she was resting comfortably in a bed, hooked up to an IV that was returning vital nutrients to her malnourished body. Her eyes fluttered and she groaned, struggling back to a painful consciousness.

He stepped up to the stretcher, "Hello, lass, I'm Dr. Carson Beckett. You're in the infirmary on Atlantis and you'll be fine. As far as we can tell, there's nothing wrong with you that some nutrients and a lot of bed rest won't cure. How are ye feelin'?"

She smiled drowsily at him, "I'm hungry, but fine, thank you. Are you from Glasgow?"

"Aye, how did ye know?"

"My grandfather was from Glasgow and my gran was a MacDonald from Skye."

"I have a cousin who married a MacDonald from Skye, her name is Catherine and they live in Achacork."

"My gran was Catherine MacDonald, as well, but they called her Achiltibuie Cathy because she taught school in Achiltibuie before she emigrated."

"My cousin is called Glasgow Cathy, as there was already a Red Cathy and an Achacork Cathy in the village... it does seem to be a popular name on Skye, does it na?"

Elizabeth Weir, who had been watching this game of "Six Degrees of Highland Scots" with bemusement, cleared her throat and tapped Beckett on the shoulder, "Perhaps we could save this for another time, Doctor Beckett?"

"Och, aye, ye're right, Elizabeth," he turned to Sofia and smiled, a sparkle in his blue eyes and the dimples deepening at the corners of his mouth. "I apologize, lass, I should ha' remembered that Dr. Weir was waitin' to meet ye."

"Dinna fash yersel'" she said, in a fair imitation of his accent. Beckett smiled in delight to hear the sounds of the Highlands from a mouth other than his own and performed the introductions.

Back on the desolate forest planet, the team from Atlantis was about to enter the camp after checking for any signs of danger, or of life, of which there were none. It was a fairly tidy camp, laid out with military precision. A small, rustic cabin stood at one corner, a cook fire had been left to burn in the pit at the center of the clearing and a large pile of wood had been stacked neatly in another corner.

Sheppard called out, hoping that the rest of the Army team was hiding in the woods until they determined whether it was safe to come out, "I'm Major John Sheppard, United States Air Force. I work for the SGC and we are here to rescue you." There was no answer to his call.

The Atlantis team exchanged puzzled glances and Sheppard looked down at the dog tags he held in his hand, "We met Captain Sutherland at the Gate and brought her back to our base for medical treatment. We'd like to do the same for you, if you'd come out. We mean no harm."

The only reply was the eerie silence that existed on this lifeless world. Sheppard motioned his team towards the woods and they fanned out to search. Several minutes later, Ford called out, "Sir! I think I found them, and you need to see this!"

The rest of the team joined him at a small clearing about a hundred feet from the cabin and stared in shock at what it revealed. Laid out, side by side in military precision, were three mounds of dirt with makeshift wooden crosses. Placed reverently against the base of the crosses were empty, moldy boots and rusty firearms. Draped over the cross at each mound was the mate to each of the dog tags that Sheppard held clenched in his hand, held in place by the chain once worn around the neck of the men who now rested for eternity in this alien hellhole...


	4. And So It Goes

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate or any of its characters, I wish I did. I'm also not making any money on this story (or anywhere else for that matter!). Blah blah blah, you all know the drill.

But I would like to borrow Carson for just a little bit, I promise to return him (mostly) undamaged!

Summary: Dr. Beckett, Major Sheppard and his team must race to solve a mystery on an alien planet before another life is lost.

Warnings: Right now it's G, but I plan to do a little whumping and have some fun with the Atlantis characters, although I do promise to return them all in the condition in which they were found!

Chapter Three

Back on Atlantis, the test results having confirmed that Sofia was suffering from nothing more than malnourishment, Carson was happily reminiscing with her about his second favorite subject: Scotland.

"Ye've been to McCaig's Folly at sunset, then?"

"Several times, but I wouldn't call it anything but McCaig's Tower to a local. The people of Oban take the great good that McCaig did for them in troubled times quite seriously." (1)

"So ye must ha' taken the ferry to Mull if you were in Oban."

"Torosay Castle and Gardens is so incredibly beautiful..."

"And the miniature railway..."

"Just the cutest thing. I took the bus tour across Mull three times and then the ferry to Iona."

"Ah, Iona, is it not the most..."

"Awe-inspiring, incredible little chunk of rock I've ever seen? Oh yes. Actually, I'm not really religious, but when I stepped foot on Iona, it was like the whole island was this mist-enshrouded, mysterious, spiritual..."

"Outdoor church, a testament to not just one religion, but to all and sundry?"

"Exactly! My grandfather had passed away the year I went to Iona and I sat in that church and I lit a candle and I cried, I've never been moved to tears in such a peaceful way, before. The next year I took my gran, it was her first trip back since she emigrated, and it was a really cathartic experience for her."

"Where is your favorite place in Scotland? Would it be Iona, then?"

"Actually, I can't remember the name of the place, it was on a B road, a one lane track between John'O Groats and Brora, and I was driving along with my gran along a river. It was the perfect time just before sunset, when everything is golden and shining..."

"Aye, the gloaming, we call it."

"That's it. As we passed by the river, we saw an enormous red deer step out from the bank on the other side and start to cross. We pulled over and watched as fifteen more of those incredible, majestic creatures slowly came out of the woods, crossed the river and continued on their way. If I close my eyes I can still feel the golden light warming my face and hear the small sounds they made as they swam the river. Between the two of us, we took almost two rolls of film..."

Sofia stopped, caught up in the memory, and Carson smiled fondly, remembering similar moments in his own life. He wouldn't give up the experience of Atlantis for anything, but he did miss home and his mum.

Tears began to trickle silently down Sofia's cheeks and Carson leaned in and took her up in a warm and gentle embrace, "Och, lass..." he said, in a broken voice.

(1) For more information on McCaig's Tower, you can visit 


	5. Massacre of Glencoe

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate or any of its characters, I wish I did. I'm also not making any money on this story (or anywhere else for that matter!). Blah blah blah, you all know the drill.

But I would like to borrow Carson for just a little bit, I promise to return him (mostly) undamaged!

Summary: Dr. Beckett, Major Sheppard and his team must race to solve a mystery on an alien planet before another life is lost.

Warnings: Right now it's G, but I plan to do a little whumping and have some fun with the Atlantis characters, although I do promise to return them all in the condition in which they were found!

Chapter Four

Back on the lifeless forest planet, Sheppard and his team were still staring at the three graves, all struck uncharacteristically speechless. Sofia had spoken of her companions as if she had just seen them and planned to see them again soon. The three wooden crosses were weathered and grey, the six boots moldy, and the dog tags, chains and weapons covered in a thick layer of rust, indicating that the graves had been there for some time.

"Sir, I..." Ford began, but couldn't think of how to continue.

"I know, Lieutenant," Sheppard replied grimly, "I think we need to get back to Atlantis and see what the heck is going on."

"They're dead, John..." Rodney began, before realizing what he had said.

"I had a feeling something was hinky about this planet, right from the beginning, but this..."

"Hinky?" Teyla enquired, "I do not understand the meaning of that word."

"It means nervous or suspicious. In this case, there's something suspicious about this place and that makes me nervous. Let's head back to Atlantis and see if we can get some answers."

The Puddlejumper came through the Gate and settled gently into the landing bay. Sheppard had kept his message to Atlantis terse and generic, informing them only that they were enroute back to base and would not require a medical team. Elizabeth Weir met them outside the ship, a quizzical expression on her face. Her brow wrinkled in concern when she saw that the team had not brought anyone else back from the planet with them.

Sheppard glanced around at the various techies passing through the area and said, "We need to talk privately, Elizabeth."

She looked at him in concern and motioned for the team to precede her to the briefing room.

"Where are the other members of Captain Sutherland's team, John?"

"They're dead."

"What?!"

"We found the graves a short distance from where they had set up camp, it looks like they've been there a while. And by 'a while' I am measuring in years and not months."

"She's been so concerned about them. She even keeps asking when they will be here so that Doctor Beckett can treat them, because they are worse off than she is."

"Well that's the understatement of the year," Rodney interjected. "You can't get much worse off than dead, now can you?"

Back in the infirmary, Carson had just informed Sofia that Sheppard's team had returned from the planet.

"Why haven't you left to go treat them?"

"I was only told that they would not need a med team in the Gate room. Perhaps your friends are na so badly off as you thought, lass."

"I thought they were, but..." Sofia's voice trailed off and she turned her head to the wall, ignoring Carson's attempts to discuss her friends and their condition. He gave up and went back to his desk to deal with the work that seemed to breed like rabbits in his bloody computer every night, no matter how hard he worked to clear it up before he went off duty each evening.

When Weir summoned him to the briefing room several minutes later, Sofia had her eyes closed and he silently exited the room, leaving her to her rest.

He entered the briefing room several minutes later and observed the grim faces of the others assembled before him. "What's happened? Why did ye na need a med team?"

"They were dead, doc."

"Deid? Sofia said that they were worse off than she was, but how could they ha'..." he stopped when he saw the looks the others were exchanging.

"Sit down. Carson, this may take a while," Elizabeth said gently. "John?"

"There were three graves there, doc. Old graves. Those people had been dead for years. What I want to know is, why was she talking about them as if they were recently alive?"

'That's really a question for a psychiatrist, but since ours is off world at the moment I would have to hazard a best guess...." he trailed off, lost in thought.

"And that would be?" Rodney demanded impatiently.

"Can ye imagine livin' all alone on an alien world for months or years? I would guess that she must ha' started talkin' to her friends in her own mind, just to try to keep sane, and over the years she may ha' forgotten that they were no longer physically there. O'course, that's just speculation, I wouldn't be able to say that for sairtain without looking into it further."

"Let's make that your priority, then, Carson. We need to know how this has affected her. And we also need to find out how they died."

"I'll start working on that immediately, but I would ask that no one mention the fact that her friends are dead to her until I can determine her mental state."

All nodded in agreement and were about to adjourn when an urgent call came in for Carson, "Doctor Beckett, you're needed in the infirmary, stat."

"On ma way."

Carson rushed out of the room and headed to the infirmary. As he got closer he could hear what sounded like singing. As the door opened, he saw Sofia, clad in her hospital gown and standing on her bed, surrounded by various medical staff. She was singing mournfully.

"_Oh cruel is the snow that sweeps Glencoe   
And covers the grave o' Donald   
And cruel was the foe that raped Glencoe   
And murdered the house o' MacDonald_

They came in the night when the men were asleep   
That band of Argyles, through snow soft and deep.   
Like murdering foxes, among helpless sheep   
They slaughtered the house o' MacDonald _   
_

_Oh cruel is the snow that sweeps Glencoe   
And covers the grave o' Donald   
And cruel was the foe that raped Glencoe   
And murdered the house o' MacDonald_

They came through the blizzard, we offered them heat   
A roof o'er their heads, dry shoes for their feet.   
We wined them and dined them, they ate of our meat   
And slept m the house O' MacDonald _   
_

_Oh cruel is the snow that sweeps Glencoe   
And covers the grave o' Donald   
And cruel was the foe that raped Glencoe   
And murdered the house o' MacDonald_

They came from Fort William with murder mind   
The Campbell had orders, King William had signed   
Put all to the sword, these words underlined   
And leave none alive called MacDonald_   
_

_Oh cruel is the snow that sweeps Glencoe   
And covers the grave o' Donald   
And cruel was the foe that raped Glencoe   
And murdered the house o' MacDonald_

Some died in their beds at the hands of the foe   
Some fled in the night, and were lost in the snow.   
Some lived to accuse him, that struck the first blow   
But gone was the house of MacDonald_   
_

_Oh cruel is the snow that sweeps Glencoe   
And covers the grave o' Donald   
And cruel was the foe that raped Glencoe   
And murdered the house o' MacDonald"_ (1)

Sofia finished singing and opened her eyes. "Carson! I didn't know you were here. I was just singing a song that my teammates always liked to hear. It's a bit depressing, but it has a lovely tune. It was also one of the only songs I could remember all of the words to. The only other song was a bit inappropriate for mixed company, so I don't generally sing it with an audience."

Carson, at a loss for what to say, enquired, "And which song would that be, lass?"

She smiled, winked, and let her gaze drift slowly below his waistline. "It's called 'The Scotsman' and talks about what the Scotsman wears 'neath his kilt." (2)

Carson flushed scarlet and mumbled, "Ye must come down from there, lass."

"I'm sorry, it's just that we always sang songs to keep our minds occupied and things have changed so much that I was just trying to... deal with it. Thank you for taking such good care of my teammates and I, by the way. We really appreciate it."

"Och, lass."

Sofia's eyes took on a distant, almost glazed, look and she started to hum. Carson moved towards her and she jumped off the bed, startled. As he attempted to get closer and offer her comfort, her eyes took on a hunted look and she assumed a defensive posture.

"Lass," he said gently.

"No!" she shrieked. "You can't! You won't! Don't don't don't don't don't don't don't!!!!!" her cries grew in pitch and intensity until she stopped, covering her ears with her clenched fists and rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Sofia," Carson moved closer, slowly, gently, trying to be as still and calm as possible. Trying not to show the anguish and heartbreak he was feeling at her pain and turmoil.

He got within a foot of her before she reacted and it was too fast for him to back away from her. She jabbed her fist into his stomach, causing him to expel all the air out his mouth in a painful "Oomph" and double over. As he doubled over, she leaned in, grabbed his ears and drove her knee into his testicles with as much force as she could muster. She let go and he dropped to the ground in a fetal position, his mouth open in a silent scream of pain.

John Sheppard, who had just entered the infirmary, rushed in with the six medical personnel who had been staring at the confrontation in shock. They tried to subdue her and get her prone so that they could inject her with something to calm her down, but ended up doing no more than dancing around her wildly swinging fists and feet for several minutes. They were trying to subdue her without causing any serious physical injury, but she obviously felt no such compunction for their well-being.

Carson spent another five minutes attempting to regain his composure before, green-faced, he rushed in to assist. Between the eight of them they managed to wrestle her to the ground, but were unsuccessful in getting her to lie still long enough to inject her. She continued to flail and her violent kicks connected between the legs of male and female staff members alike. There would be more than one candidate for the Atlantean version of the Vienna Boys' Choir tonight.

Someone produced handcuffs and they were able to get one around her left wrist before she broke free again, swinging her arm with the open, and now lethal, edge of the other cuff in their direction. Carson, thinking more of her safety than his own, didn't move quickly enough and the sharp, jagged edge of the cuff sliced across his face and then across his hand as he raised it in self-defense.

The slice across his face was shallow, a bare trickle of blood coming out of the thin line running from his ear to the dimple on the opposite side of his face. His hand, however, was bleeding profusely from a deep wound. He wrapped a large pad of gauze around it, taped it in place, and reentered the fray.

Ten minutes later, they had managed to cuff her other arm with a second pair of cuffs and were all sitting on her, attempting to attach the open ends of the two cuffs together. Thirty-two minutes after it began, the fight went out of her and she collapsed in a limp heap under their bodies. In all that time, she had made no sound, not even heavy breathing from exertion. The eight people she had fought so valiantly and needlessly were drenched in sweat, covered in scrapes and bruises.

Her body began to shake and then was racked by heart-wrenching sobs. Carson stepped up and gently injected her with a sedative. He rubbed her back as her muscles began to relax and she drifted into unconsciousness. They placed her gently back on the bed and put her into soft restraints, taking off the hard metal cuffs in the process.

As they stepped back, Sheppard looked at him and said, "Uh, doc?"

"Mmmmm?"

"What's that they say about 'Physician, heal thyself'?"

"What?" Carson looked down at his bandaged hand. Blood had soaked through the heavy layers of gauze and was dripping onto the pristine floor of the infirmary. "Oh dear," he mumbled, sinking bonelessly to the floor. "Tha's an awful lot o'blood."

John looked at him quizzically, "Don't you see more than that all the time?"

"Och, aye, but not ma oon blood. I don't mind someone else's, but..." Carson's eyes rolled up and he dropped the rest of the way to the floor in a faint.

**(1)Words and music Jim Mclean, **

**(2) **


	6. Love's Old Sweet Song

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate or any of its characters, I wish I did. I'm also not making any money on this story (or anywhere else for that matter!). Blah blah blah, you all know the drill.

But I would like to borrow Carson for just a little bit, I promise to return him (mostly) undamaged!

Summary: Dr. Beckett, Major Sheppard and his team must race to solve a mystery on an alien planet before another life is lost.

Warnings: PG for a little whumping and angst. I intend to have some fun with the Atlantis characters, although I do promise to return them all in the condition in which they were found!

Chapter Five

Carson moaned and began to struggle towards consciousness. A gentle hand pressed down on his shoulder and the light tenor voice of one of the medics reassured him, "You're in the infirmary, Doctor Beckett. We had to stitch up your hand, but you'll be fine."

"Tell that to ma'... er...bloody hell!" he groaned, attempting to curl into the fetal position. The pain in his bruised testicles was suddenly eclipsed by the agony of his injured hand as he moved it. "Bloo-dy hell!"

He took several deep breaths and asked, "How is Sofia?"

"She's still unconscious."

"And everyone else?"

"Just minor injuries, all taken care of, doc."

"How long ha' I been oot?"

"Ten minutes. Just long enough to stitch you up. Sofia should be out for another hour or two."

Carson closed his eyes, feeling a need for a little unconsciousness himself. He opened his eyes again and said, "Let me know as soon as she wakes. I think I may take a wee nap until then."

What could have been hours, but was more likely minutes, later, Carson awoke to the sound of mournful singing. He turned his head and saw that Sofia had somehow escaped from her restraints and was once again standing on her bed and singing, tears streaming down her face.

"Love's Old Sweet Song

Once in the dear dead days beyond recall .   
When on the world the mists began to fall   
Out of the dreams that rose in happy throng   
Low to our hearts love sung an old sweet song .   
And in the dusk where fell the firelight gleam   
Softly it wove itself into our dream

Just a song at twilight, when the lights are low   
And the flick'ring shadows softly come and go   
Though the heart be weary sad the day and long ,   
Still to us at twilight comes love's old song   
Comes love's own sweet song

Even today we hear love's song of yore .   
Deep in our hearts it dwells for evermore   
Footsteps may falter, weary grow the way   
Still we can hear it at the close of day   
So till the end, when life's dim shadows fall   
Love will be found the sweetest song of all

Just a song at twilight, when the lights are low   
And the flick'ring shadows softly come and go   
Though the heart be weary sad the day and long ,   
Still to us at twilight comes love's old song   
Comes love's own sweet song "(1)

Carson attempted to rise, but between his injured hand and his bruised... pride, he wasn't able to. "Sofia, lass..." he said softly.

She looked at him, but he could tell that she wasn't seeing him. Her eyes were infinitely sad and Carson's gentle heart broke at the sight.

"My friends..."

"Och, lass..."

Before Carson could struggle painfully out of bed, she ran from the infirmary. "Bloody hell! Help! Help!"

Two of the medics ran out of the next room and Carson briefed them tersely. He finished struggling out of bed and limped painfully out of the infirmary after the troubled woman.

In the Gate room, Grodin looked up in surprise as a wild-eyed woman in a hospital gown ran into the room and barreled towards him. He didn't even have time to call for help before she tackled him. He tried to fight back, but the wind had been knocked out of him and he grunted in pain as he landed on his tailbone and then smacked his head against the console. His eyes rolled up in his head and he landed in a limp heap on the floor.

Sofia began looking through the laptop Grodin had been working on, searching wildly for something. She gave a soft sound of glee and began to dial up a Gate address just as Carson, Sheppard and several others streamed into the room. She managed to finish dialing and started making her way towards the Gate as it opened with its familiar Whooosh.

Rodney, observing all this from a safe distance, called, "Zats! We need zats! Why the hell didn't we bring any zats?"

"Since hindsight is 20/20, maybe you could come up with a suggestion that would actually be of some use now?!" Sheppard growled at him.

"Sorry, this doesn't seem to call for my scientific expertise, it's more your area... Major," Rodney called back gleefully, obviously far more amused about the situation than he should have been.

Sofia was trying to get past the group blocking the Gate, her eyes still wild, her movements jerky and uncoordinated. Carson limped forward, "Sofia, lass..."

She looked at him, actually seeing him for the first time since he had been called to the briefing room to speak with

Sheppard's team and Weir about the graves they had found.

"I'm sorry, Carson. Really I am."

"Why don't ye come with me and we can talk about what is troubling you, lass."

"You don't understand, I can't. I have to..."

Her eyes became wild again and Carson knew that he had lost her again. Whatever demons plagued her, they were in control again. She moved forward, feinting one way and another, looking for an opening. Sheppard got her attention while Ford came flying up from behind to tackle her. She turned at the last moment and Ford flew into Sheppard, knocking both of the to the ground. As they attempted to untangle their limbs, she jumped over them and dashed for the Gate. She managed to make it through just before any of them could grab her and the wormhole closed in her wake.

"Dial that address again!" Sheppard called from the floor, where he and Ford had managed to untangle their limbs and were standing up, rubbing various bruised portions of their anatomy. Rodney, who had stayed safely out of the fray, rushed up the steps to the DHD. Carson followed, intent on determining the extent of Grodin's injuries.

(1) 


	7. All the King's Horses

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate or any of its characters, I wish I did. I'm also not making any money on this story (or anywhere else for that matter!). Blah blah blah, you all know the drill.

But I would like to borrow Carson for just a little bit, I promise to return him (mostly) undamaged!

Summary: Dr. Beckett, Major Sheppard and his team must race to solve a mystery on an alien planet before another life is lost.

Warnings: PG for a little whumping and angst. I intend to have some fun with the Atlantis characters, although I do promise to return them all in the condition in which they were found!

OK this is it, the final chapter! Sorry it took me so long, it's busy season at work. Thank you to everyone for reading this and a special thanks to everyone who provided feedback. Just a few individual responses to some of the feedback and then it's back to your regularly scheduled programming!

**b7-kerravon**: Thanks for posting the song lyrics, I was worried that putting two songs into one chapter was too much.

**huh**: I don't really hate Rodney, I'm much meaner to Carson. It's true that you always hurt the ones you love!

**Chesirecat**: My characters are from the SG-1 universe. They landed in the Pegasus Galaxy by accident, so the Colonel's rank shouldn't be an issue.

Chapter Six

Sheppard raced towards the Jumper Bay, Ford on his heels and a security team behind them. Beckett came limping after them, a medical bag clutched in his uninjured hand. Sheppard called over his shoulder as he was powering up the ship, "Off the ship, Doc. We need to get out of here."

"I'm comin' wi' ye."

"You need to tend to Grodin and to yourself, Doc."

"Grodin has a wee concussion and is in capable hands. I am fine as well and I am goin' wi' ye," the normally placid and unassuming Scot said forcefully, hands on hips and a steely look in his blue eyes. He sat down in an empty spot, staring straight ahead at nothing, his brow furrowed in thought.

Sheppard closed his mouth and continued to power up the little ship, deciding that it was not worth the trouble of arguing with him. The Gate opened with a whoosh and Sheppard maneuvered the ship through it and back onto the lifeless hell they had so recently rescued Sofia from.

The team fanned out, looking for signs of Sofia. Beckett followed Sheppard down the path towards the camp they had found earlier. When they reached the camp, Sheppard looked over at the doctor, "Stay here doc"

"I willna…" Beckett stopped when Sheppard raised his hand and motioned forcefully for silence.

"Doc, if you stay here we will know where to bring Sofia when we find her."

Beckett grimaced and assented grudgingly. After Sheppard left the clearing, he stared at the structure where Sofia had spent her lonely exile and thought about what it would take to get her back to some semblance of normality, if it could be done at all. He was no psychiatrist and there were no guarantees that she would be found before she did herself any harm, but Beckett pondered on what it would take to heal her.

After a few moments, he walked over to the building and the hesitated, his hand on the door. An intense desire to not enter the building froze him in place. He could have sworn he heard the final words to the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme being whispered in his ear. He tried to force his muscles to obey him and open the door, to move away, to do anything, but he remained frozen in place.

After what seemed to be an eternity, he felt a gentle breeze brush past his unruly hair and then his muscles relaxed all at once, causing him to drop to the ground. He tried in vain to check his fall, but was unable to regain control of his muscles. As his head rushed towards the large stone that had been placed in front of the building as a doorstep, the only response his brain could summon was, "Bloody hell, not again!" before he felt the blinding pain and then blissful unconsciousness.

Several minutes later he struggled back to consciousness, groaning as waves of nausea from a concussion washed over him. He retched and groaned for several more minutes before he was able to open his eyes. Sheppard was standing over him, a look of concern mixed with boyish mischief on his handsome face, "What's that they say about 'Physician, heal thyself', doc? I don't think it's working out too well for you."

Carson attempted to summon up the strength to curse, but could only produce a tortured groan. Sheppard knelt down and placed a gentle hand on his brow, asking with concern, "You OK, doc?"

"Does it look like I'm alright, ye idiot!" Carson muttered.

Sorry, doc. It's just… you have to admit that you've had quite a day. I just… I guess it was easier for me to find the humor in it."

Carson opened one bloodshot blue eye and glared blearily at the major, "Could I ha' some help here, or do ye plan on jest standin' there and laughing at me all day?"

Sheppard helped the wobbly doctor to his feet and watched in concern as he swayed back and forth, attempting to find his balance. When he was steadier on his feet, Sheppard asked, "So what happened here, doc?"

Carson tried to find an explanation that wouldn't get him locked up in a padded room and couldn't. "I tripped over something, must have hit my head on that rock. I'll be fine, just give me a minute."

Sheppard cocked his head to one side, obviously not quite buying Carson's story. After a moment he decided that it wasn't worth it and patted the doctor gently on his shoulder, "Are you sure you're going to be OK, doc?"

"Aye, thank ye, major. I'll just stay here for a while and wait for ye."

Carson waited for Sheppard to leave the clearing and then turned back to the door, debating whether he was up to trying to open it. He eventually shrugged his shoulders and placed his hand on the door. The eerie sensation he had felt before was gone and he was able to push the door open with no resistance.

Dust flew everywhere and he sneezed violently, then held his aching head in pain. "Och, ma heid!" When he opened his eyes again he saw a bundle of green rags in a corner and some neatly stacked personal belongings if four precise piles. The neatness of the belongings jarred with the scattered bundle of rags in the corner and set off warning bells in his head.

He walked towards the pile of rags and could have sworn that he heard the same nursery rhyme he had before he froze outside the cabin's door ringing in his head. No paralysis gripped him and he continued toward the pile, wondering why it looked familiar, but unable to pull an explanation out of his aching brain.

As he knelt by the pile of rags, a dawning horror began to resound in his brain, but he was unable to process the reason. He stood and stared at the rags, attempting to make some sense out of them, but couldn't. All he could do was stare at them in shock, gripped by a paralysis of his own making.

The reality of what he saw began to dawn on him in a cold and creeping sensation. Goose bumps popped up all over his body and he sunk to his knees, unable to come to terms with what he saw. The rags were camouflage-colored, not at all surprising considering the limited amount of supplies the team had been stranded with all those years ago. At one time it had obviously belonged to a Captain in the US Army.

The nametag was clearly visible, a neatly printed "Sutherland" just above the breast pocket. What had caused Carson to drop to his knees in horror were the items contained within the bundle of rags.

A desiccated corpse, human and most likely female, judging by the hair still attached to the withered skull, was curled up in a fetal position within the rags. Clutched in one skeletal hand was a leather-bound book of some sort. As the obvious reality of what he saw dawned on him, Carson sat back with a cry of despair and lost his balance. As he fell towards the ground for the second time that hour, he was unable to even feel grateful that he was falling backwards and not towards the withered corpse that had once been Captain Sofia Sutherland.

Carson regained his balance enough to land sharply on his tailbone, rather than back on his head again. He stifled yet another cry of pain.

He twisted his legs underneath him and reached for the leather book, hoping that it contained the answers he so desperately needed.

The book was a journal, clearly marked with Sofia's name and rank. It seemed to detail the daily events in her life, starting with the day she was assigned to the Stargate program. He flipped through the pages, looking for the last few entries.

"Date: Unknown

Place: We aren't in Kansas, anymore, Toto.

I buried the last of my three teammates today. The wasting disease that has afflicted us all since we set foot on this accursed hellhole of a planet took my friend's life, not in the great blaze of glory we all thought we would go out in, but in a pain-ravaged and undignified state. This disease will claim my life soon, and who will ensure that I receive a proper burial? What must they have told my family, now that I have been missing in action for so long? If you re reading this, then I know that the people at the SGC were finally able to solve our disappearance. I only wish that our rescue had not come too late.

The entity that has been plaguing us since our arrival has become more persistent and continues to plague me daily. I wish that I could understand what it wants and why it is here, but how does a being of flesh and blood, speech and laughter, blood and bone communicate with an entity that is none of those things? An entity that can be neither seen nor heard, and is heard only as a wordless murmur in your mind and felt only as a gentle summer breeze?

As I lie here, writing what may be my last words, I can feel the entity growing ever closer and more insistent in its murmurings. I have been able to escape it before, but am no longer able to resist its presence. How is it that an entity that I cannot even prove exists seems able to drain me of every thought, each precious memory, all of what makes me who I am just with its presence?

I know who I am, I can remember my life, but each minute that the entity stays close to my wasted body, I feel more and more as if that wonderful life had happened to someone else entirely. It seems as if a haze obscures my memories, even the most recent ones. Not even my memory of burying my friend this afternoon is clear. It is as if it all happened to someone else. I…"

The journal ended there, the "I" drifting off the page, the remaining pages blank. As Carson sat there, trying to process what he had read, to make some sense of it, he felt the murmur and gentle breeze that he had felt just before he had frozen in front of the door. Unlike Sofia's experience with the entity, he felt no lessening of his own memories or spirit. Instead, he seemed to feel an added presence, and wondered if perhaps the entity had absorbed something from Sofia, perhaps to preserve a part of her after her body had returned to dust.

The image of Sofia as he imagined she had looked when she first joined the Stargate program appeared before him, young, vibrant, healthy and happy. She smiled sadly, almost gratefully, and then faded from view. Carson sat there and cried silently, tears streaming down his cheeks, clutching the journal to his quaking chest. Sheppard found him there ten minutes later, still crying silently for the woman he thought he had known.

Author's Notes: That is all, finito, done at last! Thank you for reading, and for waiting patiently (or impatiently as the case may be, you know who YOU are!!!) for me to finish. Happy New Year 2005 to you all.


End file.
